The Three-Year Myth: The Real CMMC Timeline for the Defense Industrial Base | Webinar
Recorded on March 17, 2026.
Speakers:
John Nolan | Vice President, Compliance
Jody Stoehr | Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem
Tyler Peak | Marketing Specialist (Moderator)
Executive Brief
Think you have three years to prepare for Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)? That assumption is widespread and incorrect.
This article is based on our recent webinar, The Three-Year Myth: The Real CMMC Timeline for the DIB.
- Hear how contract timing is already accelerating requirements
- Understand what actually drives your compliance deadline
- Get practical guidance on building a realistic timeline
Watch the full recording above before diving deeper below.
Why the “Three-Year” Assumption Falls Short
Many contractors still believe they have a three-year runway and that belief comes from how CMMC is being rolled out, not how it actually impacts your business.
The Department of Defense (DoD) (also known as the Department of War) rollout timeline is not the same as your readiness timeline.
Here’s the disconnect:
- The rollout describes how requirements are phased into contracts
- It does not guarantee when they will show up in your contracts
- It does not delay requirements tied to recompetes or new awards
What actually happens:
- Requirements appear gradually across solicitations
- Some contractors are impacted much earlier than others
- The window to prepare shrinks quickly once requirements hit your pipeline
Key takeaway:
- The rollout timeline is a policy framework
- Your readiness timeline is a business reality
Your Real Deadline Is Driven by Contracts
“I think the number one thing is, don’t think you have three years to become CMMC compliant. It’s very important to understand your contracts, speak with your contracting officers, or work with your primes to understand what level they require. Whatever they are is what you need to be,” says Jody Stoehr, ISI Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem.
Your timeline is dictated by the work you pursue and the partners you support.
What drives urgency:
- Recompetes and option years
- New contract bids
- Prime contractor flow-down requirements
For subcontractors:
- You may need to meet requirements before the DoD formally mandates them due to prime contractor requirements
- Primes are already managing supply chain risk
If you support multiple programs:
- You must align to the highest required CMMC level
Bottom line:
- Your timeline is set by contracts and relationships, not federal milestones
Why Readiness Takes Longer Than Expected
Many organizations underestimate how much work is involved.
A CMMC assessment is the final step, not the starting point.
Readiness includes:
- Scoping where Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) lives and flows
- Conducting a gap assessment against National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication (SP) 800-171
- Performing technical and operational remediation
- Developing documentation like your System Security Plan (SSP) and Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms)
- Coordinating with managed service providers and cloud vendors
- Collecting and organizing evidence
- Scheduling with a Certified Third-Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO)
Common reality:
- This process takes months
- Bottlenecks are common, especially with internal coordination and assessor availability
This Is an Organizational Effort, Not Just IT
CMMC is often treated as a cybersecurity project.
That approach can slow you down while successful organizations treat it as a business-wide initiative.
Key stakeholders include:
- Executive leadership
- Compliance and legal teams
- Human resources and finance
- Operations
- External partners
What this changes:
- Faster decision-making
- Better resource alignment
- Stronger documentation consistency
ISI Insight: Organizations that align early move faster and reduce risk.
The Risk of Waiting
Delaying action creates compounding challenges.
What waiting leads to:
- Rushed remediation efforts
- Higher implementation costs
- Limited access to assessors
- Missed contract opportunities
It also impacts positioning:
- Primes may favor prepared partners
- You may be excluded before bidding even starts
Important:
- Uncertainty is not a reason to wait
- It is a reason to prepare earlier
What Contractors Should Do Now
Focus on actions you can control today.
Start here:
- Reach out to your contract officer or prime
- Understand your contract requirements and pipeline
- Identify your likely CMMC level
- Conduct a gap assessment
- Build a work-back timeline based on business needs
- Align internal teams and external partners
- Plan for ongoing compliance, not a one-time event
Bottom line:
- Early action creates flexibility
- Late action creates constraints
The CMMC rollout timeline does not define your readiness window.
Your real timeline is shaped by contracts, competition, and internal execution.
Organizations that start early gain control, reduce risk, and position themselves to win.
Those that wait are forced into reactive decisions.
FAQs
Do all contractors really have three years to prepare for CMMC?
No. The three-year timeline refers to how the DoD phases requirements into contracts. Your actual deadline depends on when CMMC requirements appear in your specific contracts, which can happen much sooner.
What is the biggest factor that determines my CMMC timeline?
Your contracts. Recompetes, option years, and prime contractor requirements will dictate when you need to be compliant, often earlier than expected.
How long does it take to become CMMC Level 2 ready?
Most organizations need several months to over a year depending on their current posture. The process includes scoping, remediation, documentation, and scheduling an assessment, all of which take time.
